1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a recording apparatus and a method for recording an audio signal and a recording medium on which a computer program for recording a signal is recorded.
2. Description of Related Art
In the case of music software formed on a CD (Compact Disc), an MD (Mini Disc), a DAT (Digital Audio Tape), or the like, subcode information is recorded in addition to an audio signal corresponding to each music piece. The subcode information includes a track number signal indicating the music piece number, an index number signal indicating a music piece measure that is obtained by finely dividing one music piece, and the like.
In a playing apparatus for playing the music software, a CD player for example, the audio signal is read out from the disc and the track number signal is read out from the subcode information, thereby recognizing the music piece number so that a head part of an arbitrary music piece can be reproduced. Furthermore, by reading out the index number signal from the subcode information, the music piece measures existing in one music piece are recognized and the head of an arbitrary music piece measure can be reproduced. This is generally referred to as xe2x80x9cindex search functionxe2x80x9d. The index number signal is set to xe2x80x9c0xe2x80x9d for a soundless portion where no music piece is recorded, i.e., an inter-music portion, and is set to xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d when the first measure of the music piece starts. Subsequently, the index number increases by xe2x80x9c1xe2x80x9d, for example, each time the measure of the music piece changes, and the index number signal having such an index number is recorded. The CD player detects a change point of the index number signal in response to an index search request from the user, thereby searching the head portion of an arbitrary music piece measure.
However, the number of CDs having no index number recorded therein has been increased in recent years. In association with such a trend, many CD players are designed that, only a track number search function is installed and an index search function is not installed. A problem occurs, therefore, such that even if the user has the CDs sold in the past or CDs of classic music on which the index numbers are recorded, the measures cannot be searched on a index unit basis.
The invention has been made to solve the problem described above and it is an object of the invention to provide a recording apparatus in which even in a player such that a second segment signal of a signal to be recorded is converted into a first segment signal and recorded together with an audio signal, so that only a search of the first segment signal as a relatively large unit can be performed, it is possible to form a recording medium which can perform a search substantially on a unit basis of the second segment signal as one of the segments divided finely.
To solve the problem, according to a first aspect of the invention, a recording apparatus is configured to record, on a recording medium, a signal to be recorded which includes an audio signal corresponding to a music piece, first segment information corresponding to predetermined units of the audio signal, and second segment information corresponding to fine units obtained by finely dividing each of said predetermined units represented by the first segment information, the apparatus comprising forming means for forming the first segment information; detecting means for detecting a change of the second segment information of the signal to be recorded; control means for controlling so as to update the first segment information which is formed by the forming means when the detecting means detects the change of the second segment information; and recording means for recording the first segment information which is formed by the forming means together with the audio signal.
When the change of the second segment signal of the signal to be recorded is detected, therefore, the formed first segment signal is updated and the first segment signal is recorded together with the audio signal. That is, the second segment signal of the signal to be recorded is converted into the first segment signal and recorded together with the audio signal. Even in the player which can perform only the search of the first segment signal as a relatively large unit, consequently, it is possible to perform a search substantially on a unit basis of the second segment signal as a finely divided segment.
According to the second aspect of the invention, a recording apparatus is configured to record, on a recording medium, a signal to be recorded in which includes an audio signal corresponding to a music piece, a track number corresponding to the music piece, and an index number corresponding to each portion obtained by finely dividing the music piece, the recording apparatus comprising forming means for forming the track number; detecting means for detecting a change of the index number of the signal to be recorded; control means for performing a control operation to update the track number which is formed by the track number forming means when the change of the index number is detected by the detecting means; and recording means for recording the track number which is formed by the forming means together with the audio signal.
When the change of the index number of the signal to be recorded is detected, therefore, the formed track number is updated and the track number is recorded together with the audio signal. That is, the index number of the signal to be recorded is converted into the track number and recorded together with the audio signal. Consequently, even in the player which can perform the track search only, it is possible to perform a search operation substantially on an index number basis. Therefore, it is possible to form a CD with which a searching operation can be performed on the index number basis in the general CD player.
According to the third aspect of the invention, a recording method is configured to record a signal to be recorded which includes an audio signal corresponding to a music piece, a track number corresponding to the music piece, and an index number corresponding to each portion obtained by finely dividing the music piece, the method comprising: a detecting step of detecting a change of the index number of the signal to be recorded; a forming step of updating the track number which is formed when the change of the index number is detected; and a recording step of recording the track number formed in the forming step together with the audio signal.
When the change of the index number of the signal to be recorded is detected, therefore, the track number being formed is updated and the track number is recorded together with the audio signal. That is, the index number of the signal to be recorded is converted into the track number and recorded together with the audio signal. Even in the player which can perform only the track search, consequently, it is possible to perform a search substantially on an index unit basis. In the general CD player, therefore, it is possible to form a CD with which a search operation can be performed on an index number basis.
According to the fourth aspect of the invention, a recording medium has a computer program recorded thereon for recording a signal to be recorded which includes an audio signal corresponding to a music piece, a track number corresponding to the music piece, and an index number corresponding to each portion obtained by finely dividing the music piece, wherein the computer program functions to control recording means to update a track number being formed when a change of the index number of the signal to be recorded is detected and to record the formed track number together with the audio signal.
When the change of the index number of the signal to be recorded is detected, therefore, the formed track number is updated and the track number is recorded together with the audio signal. That is, the index number of the signal to be recorded is converted into the track number and recorded together with the audio signal. Even in the player which can perform only the track search, consequently, it is possible to perform a search substantially on an index unit basis. In the general CD player, therefore, it is possible to form a CD with which a search operation can be performed on an index number basis.